BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 16
Trend:
The construction of the 23-kilometer Kvesheti-Kobi road and the nine-kilometer tunnel, which are an important part of the North-South transport corridor modernization project, is in an active phase and will be completed by 2024, head of the Department of Roads of the Ministry of Regional Development of Georgia Giorgi Tsereteli said in an interview with Forbes Georgia, Trend reports with reference to local media.
Using the Kvesheti-Kobi road, drivers will be able to bypass the most problematic section of the Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars highway - the Kobi-Gudauri section, which is often closed in winter due to the danger of avalanches. The tunnel that is being dug under the Cross Pass (from the village of Tskere to the village of Kobi) is the most difficult site engineering structure. Its construction was entrusted to the Chinese company China Railway 23rd Bureau Group Co.
“A tunnel drilling rig specially made for this project was delivered to Georgia. Today they are successfully building a tunnel of unprecedented size for the region. Unfortunately, Georgian companies at this stage do not have the resources and experience to implement and manage projects of this magnitude,” Tsereteli said.
A two-kilometer section of the tunnel has already been laid, as well as 2.2 kilometers of an evacuation tunnel.
According to Tsereteli, in 2020-2021, a total of 70 kilometers of the East-West international highway were opened, including a 41-kilometer section of the Kutaisi bypass road, an 18-kilometer section of Japan-Lanchkhuti, as well as a 13-kilometer section of the road to the Khashuri bypass. In all cases, most of the work was carried out by local companies.
"In total, in 2020-2021, we signed 265 contracts with 142 companies, of which more than 1.2 billion were invested, and this [amount] was spent exclusively on the rehabilitation and repair of roads of internal and international importance", - Tsereteli said.